ShopSign in

Salsa Suzy Q Kick

A traveling swivel-footwork shine with a syncopated kick accent

SalsaLevel: Improver2 min read5 citations

The Suzy Q Kick is a salsa shine — a self-contained passage of solo footwork danced when partners release the hold during an open break, rather than a figure one partner leads on the other.[1] Its signature is a sideways-traveling heel swivel capped by a sharp, low kick snapped on a syncopated count, which is what gives the move its name. Because nothing connects the two dancers through it, both ordinarily perform the shine at once — independently, and often in mirror — before settling back into the partner hold.

The step descends from the Suzie Q (also written Suzy Q), a novelty move that surfaced in 1930s American social dance and was later absorbed into a range of dance idioms, salsa among them.[2] Salsa preserved both the original swivel mechanic and the English name, folding the step into its shine vocabulary alongside other solo breaks.

The footwork

The travel is produced entirely by the feet. Carrying the weight forward over the balls of both feet, the dancer fans the heels outward and then draws them back inward in alternation, each swivel ratcheting the body a little farther to the side.[1] Keeping the weight forward and the swivels small and continuous — closer to a ratchet than a series of discrete steps — is what lets the figure travel cleanly. The "Kick" is one of the styled accents layered onto this base: the free foot flicks out in a low kick on a syncopated count, after which the swivel pattern resumes.[3]

Timing and variations

The Suzy Q reads comfortably in both On1 and On2 phrasing, and instructional catalogues document distinct variations for each timing; the kicked version is one entry in a broader family of styled treatments built on the basic step.[4]

In Cuban casino

The step also lives in the Cuban (casino) tradition, where it is taught under the same English name, "Suzy Q," even though casino centers on partner work and rueda de casino rather than extended solo breaks.[5]

How it's danced

Lead and follow cues

CountShine footwork, not a break-step figure. The card commits to On1: the swivel-travel runs across 1-2-3 and 5-6-7 with the low kick syncopated on the '&' after 3 and after 7. Danced On2, the whole pattern shifts +1 beat (swivels on 2-3-4 / 6-7-8). Source variations exist for both timings.

Lead

Not a led figure — during an open shine the leader releases the hold and dances it alone with no partner weight. Weight stays forward over the balls of the feet; he swivels both heels out on 1, in on 2, out on 3, ratcheting sideways, then snaps a low kick of the free foot on the '&' before reversing the travel across 5-6-7 and kicking again after 7. No frame, no connection.

Follow

Danced independently, often in mirror — the follower performs the identical swivel-travel with no connection to the leader. Forward over the balls of the feet, she pivots the heels out on 1, in on 2, out on 3, pops the same low kick on the '&', then ratchets back across 5-6-7 and kicks after 7. Balance is held over her own toes throughout.

Song timingComfortable through roughly 160-185 bpm social salsa, where the swivel-travel and kick stay clean; toward 190+ bpm the pattern tightens and the kick is often dropped. Danced On1 the swivels run 1-2-3 / 5-6-7 with the kick on the syncopated '&'; On2 dancers shift the whole pattern +1 beat.

Learn first

Prerequisites

  • Comfortable salsa basic step and clean weight changes
  • Ability to dance open shines without partner connection
  • Ankle and foot control to pivot over the balls of the feet for the swivel

Watch out

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight drop back onto the heels, which kills the swivel — the pivots must stay over the balls of the feet
  • Traveling with the legs rather than the swivel, so the step lurches instead of ratcheting smoothly sideways
  • Throwing a high or wide kick that breaks balance; the accent is a low, controlled snap that lands back on time
  • Drifting off the music during the shine so the kick no longer lands on its syncopated '&'
  • Trying to keep a hand connection and 'lead' the move when it is danced solo and unconnected

Don't confuse with

Easily confused moves

  • The Suzie Q in Charleston, jazz, and line dance — the same-named root step in other idioms, not the salsa shine
  • Salsa 'twist' or 'cucaracha' shines — also swivel- and pivot-based footwork but without the lateral Suzy Q travel
  • It is a solo shine, not a led partner figure such as a cross-body lead or copa
  • 'Cruzado' / 'paso cruzado' (cross step) — footwork terms, not a name for this move

Around the world

Other names

  • General linear salsa (Los Angeles On1)

    Suzy Q / Suzie Q

    Uses the English novelty-dance term; no distinct native name.

  • New York (On2 / mambo)

    Suzie Q

    English term; the 'Suzie Q' spelling is common in instructional usage.

  • Cuban salsa (casino)

    Suzy Q

    Taught under the same English name; shines are secondary to partner work and rueda.

  • English-language usage generally

    Susie Q / Suzy Q / Suzie Q

    Spelling variants of one name, not separate figures.

References

  1. 1.How to Do the Suzy Q Salsa Dance Step — howcast.com
  2. 2.Suzie Q (dance move) — Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia
  3. 3.How to Do the Suzy Q Dance Step Styled - Howcast — howcast.com
  4. 4.Salsa Shines: 7 Suzie Q Variations (On1 & On2) - Dance Dojo — thedancedojo.com
  5. 5.Cuban Salsa: Suzy Q - SalsaSelfie.com — salsaselfie.com

How to cite this article

Choose a style and copy the citation.

APA

Bailar Editorial Team. (2026). Salsa Suzy Q Kick. Bailar Biblioteca. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/salsa-suzy-q-kick

MLA

Bailar Editorial Team. “Salsa Suzy Q Kick.” Bailar Biblioteca, 2026, bailar.site/biblioteca/move/salsa-suzy-q-kick. Accessed 29 June 2026.

Chicago

Bailar Editorial Team. “Salsa Suzy Q Kick.” Bailar Biblioteca. Accessed June 29, 2026. https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/salsa-suzy-q-kick.

BibTeX

@misc{bailar-move-salsa-suzy-q-kick, author = {{Bailar Editorial Team}}, title = {{Salsa Suzy Q Kick}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bailar Biblioteca}, url = {https://bailar.site/biblioteca/move/salsa-suzy-q-kick}, note = {Accessed: 2026-06-29} }

Editor-in-Chief: Paul Thomas Plawin

How we research & review these articles